1 day Ago
"We remain open to negotiations, but the ball is not in our court. Kiev has not shown readiness for negotiations so far. The latest evidence of that is the Ukrainian armed forces’ inability to respect the 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities (March 18 to April 17) or the 30-hour Easter truce (from 6 pm [15:00 GMT] on April 19 to midnight on April 21 [21:00 on April 20 GMT])," Lavrov said in an interview with Brazil’s O Globo newspaper.
Regarding the contacts between Russia and the United States on the issue of the Ukrainian settlement, Lavrov said that Moscow got the impression that Washington has become more aware of Russia's stance. He further stated that the European Union countries continue supporting Kiev to salvage its reputation, placing this goal above achieving a fair and sustainable peace. "Brussels does not want anything but Moscow’s unconditional defeat.
Any other outcome would amount to losing the geopolitical game for it. The EU believes that by ending its support to Ukraine it would demonstrate its strategic incompetence..
. In other words, the bureaucrats in Brussels focus on saving their reputation rather than achieving a fair and lasting peace," Lavrov said. The minister added that the EU seeks to undermine work on a peaceful settlement, continues to supply Ukraine with arms and prepare contingents to be sent to the country, despite Russia's warnings.
.
